Posted by Mary Wimberley on 2008-10-21

Comparative religion specialist and author Jill Carroll will explore the topic "Islam and Humanistic Ideals" in a lecture at Samford University Wednesday, Oct. 29.

Her address at 3:30 p.m. in Brock Forum, located in Dwight Beeson Hall, will be related to her recent book, A Dialogue of Civilizations: Gulen's Islamic Ideals and Humanistic Discourse.

Dr. Carroll is executive director of the Boniuk Center for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance at Rice University, where she is an associate adjunct professor in religious studies.

In Dialogue of Civilizations, Carroll explores the relationship between the thought of contemporary Islamic thinker Fethullah Gulen and major voices in the humanistic tradition such as Plato, Kant, Mill Confucius and Sartre. She is known for her ability to combine scholarly knowledge with a flair for real world application.

Samford philosophy department chair Dr. Dennis Sansom will respond to her presentation. A discussion will follow.

The public is invited to the lecture, which is sponsored by Samford's Howard College of Arts and Sciences, religion department, and the Peace Valley Foundation, an organization designed to foster understanding and knowledge between the people of Turkey and the U.S.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 5,791 students from 49 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.